Texans’ Watt expects to be ’100 percent’ for season opener

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Defensive end J.J. Watt returned to the practice field Friday morning with his left arm in a sling knowing he might miss the entire Texans preseason after dislocating his elbow at practice Thursday.

But Watt was in a good mood because he’d been told he could expect to be fully recovered in time for the season opener Sept. 9 against Miami. And he’s determined to contribute to the cause, carrying water to his defensive linemates during the workout and, after practice, happily signing autographs.

“They won’t let me ride the bike or do anything this first day, so I’ll do everything I can to help my brothers,” Watt said. “I feel bad, I put them in a position where they’re a man down and they’ve got to work a little bit harder. I want to make it as easy on them as I can. My teammates are very generous, very nice guys. I want to be out there with them. I feel I’m a big part of this team. I’ll be excited when I can play with them again.”

As for going over to mix with the fans, Watt figured that was the least he could do after they had given him a rousing ovation when he first walked onto the field.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “We have unbelievable fans. I really appreciate their support on Twitter, Facebook. I’m grinding to get out here for them, too. I’ve had girls on Twitter say, ‘I’ll give you elbow massages!’ It’s been great.”

Watt called getting his arm bent backward “scary. I was on the ground and guys were saying, ‘Oh, look at his elbow.’ It looked weird.’ But Kap (trainer Geoff Kaplan) was right there on the spot and popped it back in.

“I’d much rather have it happen now than in the season. So I’m just going to make sure I’m 100 percent when I get back. I want to be back Week 1. That’s my goal. Anything sooner will be a bonus. I want to be there when it matters. To know I’ll be able to run out of that tunnel with my teammates on 9-9 . . . it’s going to be a good day.”